There’s a huge number of different types of insurance that a person needs. Auto insurance is one of the big ones. If you have a car, then the law says you have to have insurance. Not only that, but there are different kinds of auto insurance. Collision insurance, replacement insurance, all manner of different insurance policies that cover different things.

Medical insurance is the next big one. Even there, you have different kinds of policies. Policies that cover medical exams, medication costs, dental insurance, the list goes on and on. Then there’s life insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, there are enough different kinds of insurance that it can make your head spin. Thus, when the question “do I need burial insurance” comes to mind, it might be easy to ignore it. You have enough different kinds of insurance to worry about. There’s no reason to add one more type of insurance into the mix. Especially when you consider the cost of just about any kind of insurance mentioned.

However, you should not pass up this incredibly important insurance! It’s unfortunate, but there’s a simple truth that death is expensive. No one likes to think about death and dying. No one likes to think about how to deal with the world when they’re gone. At most, a person might purchase life insurance. But the cost of a funeral is quite high. It can easily cost several thousand dollars, even tens of thousands, to have a funeral done. The cost of the casket alone can be quite high. Then you have to take into account the cost of the funeral hall, the cost of bringing the family together, it can get astronomical.

Burial insurance can help your family deal with that cost. Just like any other kind of insurance, burial insurance pays out when the contractual obligations occur. In this case, it would be when it comes time to pay for the burial. That way, your family doesn’t have to worry about sorting through the paperwork with life insurance, paying all the various bills associated with however you died, and then worrying about paying all the bills associated with actually having the funeral. You’ll know, for certain, that your family will have all the money they need to deal with your final rest. They won’t have to pay out of pocket, and thus worry about becoming bankrupt.

That can be a powerful fear, what might happen to your family after you’re gone. It’s a fear that’s powerful enough to cause many people to put off preparation. You should avoid that temptation. It’s easy to think that you have years upon years to worry about what might happen when you die, but that may not be true. You never know when a horrible accident could happen, leaving your family with an important bill to pay.

So, what is the answer to the question “do I need burial insurance”? The answer is yes; you do. Otherwise, your family may be left in poverty.

By law, companies can only offer 10 standardized Medigap policies known as A-N. The plans are A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. The plans previously labeled E, H, I, and J are no longer sold. An insurance company does not have to carry all ten plans. Some may only carry a few, while others may offer all ten.

You only need one policy. Each policy builds on the previous one. Plan D includes all the coverage options offered by A, B, and C, plus additional options under Plan D. Plan E, provides everything Plan D does, plus additional coverage, and so on. It is illegal for an insurance company to sell you more than one plan.

If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, it is illegal for an insurance company to sell you a Medigap unless the coverage on the Medicare Advantage plan will run out before the coverage on the Medigap will begin.

Some Medigap policies sold in the past cover prescription drugs, but Medigap policies sold after January 1, 2006 aren’t allowed to include prescription drug coverage. If you want prescription drug coverage, you can join a Medicare Part D plan.

The Medicare Supplement Open Enrollment Period begins on the first day of the month that you are enrolled in Medicare Part B. It lasts for 6 months. In order to join a Medicare supplement insurance plan you must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B.

There is no health screening during this period, so you cannot be denied coverage if you enroll during this time. You can still apply for a supplement plan after this time, but based on your current health condition and risks, you may be denied coverage or charged a higher premium.

In other words, an individual with a pre-existing health condition who enrolls in a supplement plan during this Open Enrollment Period, will be paying the same premiums as a perfectly healthy individual.

No. A Medicare Supplemental policy only provides coverage for you. It does not cover anyone else in your family. If your spouse wishes to have the same or similar coverage, they will need to obtain their own Medigap policy.